Conventional roller skates have been widely available for many decades. It is common for users of such skates, especially beginners, to have difficulty balancing or controlling their speed. Since the speeds achieved by most roller skaters were not particularly high, the incidence of injuries resulting from conventional roller skate use was relatively modest.
However, over about the last ten years, in-line roller skates have become increasingly popular. Persons using in-line roller skates tend to achieve significantly higher speeds than with conventional roller skates. Furthermore, in-line skates are being used for a great many activities including commuting on busy roadways. Accordingly, the need for adequate speed control and balance has become of much greater importance. No adequate device for controlling speed or maintaining balance using these skates has yet been developed. As a result, in-line skating has resulted in an unacceptably high incidence of injuries from falls or crashes by persons who were unable to maintain control.
Most in-line skates provide a braking pad at the rear of one boot of the skate. When the user wishes to slow down or stop, he or she is supposed to move the braking foot forwardly and tilt it rearwardly to drag the brake pad on the ground. In another version the toe is held down and the cuff is angled to cause a lever to push a rear brake pad against the ground. In either case the motion is counterintuitive and at best can only decelerate the user gradually. In an emergency stop, or where one or both skates encounter an obstacle (such as sand, gravel or grass on the road or even a very rough surface) and the wheels stop turning, the user's center of gravity rapidly shifts forwardly of the skates. As a result, it is nearly impossible for the skater to adopt the normal braking stance and a fall becomes highly likely.
Various other attempts have been made to provide brakes for in-line skates and the like. For example, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,075, brakes have been fitted to operate on the wheels themselves. One problem with this approach is that sudden falls are still likely to occur when the skates encounter an obstacle. Also, even if the wheels are braked during an emergency stop, the user's center of gravity will continue to move forwardly and eventually lift the wheels off the ground nullifying the braking action.
A different approach is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,135. That patent shows an elongated shaft having a brakable wheel at each end. The skater carries the shaft in both hands and its use requires that the skater lean backwards into a semi-sitting position, using the shaft as a rearwardly extending support, and then apply the brake. A major problem with this device is that again, if the skates encounter an unexpected obstacle and suddenly stop (unfortunately an all too common occurrence), the skater will not have time to lean backward into a sitting position and apply the brake. Instead, the user's body will be thrust forwardly of the skates and a crash will result. If the user is able to lean backward and brake the rearwardly trailing wheel, his/her skates will tend to move forwardly in front of the user, again causing a fall.